Into the Night
by ShaD.23
Summary: How did Yomi and Tomo become friends? It was a long and bumpy road, but some things you just can't survive without forming a bond with somebody.
1. Prologue

It's me, Shady, back at long last. This is a story of Tomo and Yomi, and I promise you, it won't be a happy, 'Remember way back when' story. But hey, it's a prequel, right? Everything _should_ turn out right in the end, right?

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><p><em>Once upon a time, there were two little girls. One was smart and sassy, with long brown hair and shiny glasses, named Koyomi, and one was happy and bubbly, with curly dark hair, named Tomo. The two were only five years old and attended the same kindergarten and were often together. However, while they were thought to be best friends, a calamity ever so great occurred from one of their many squabbles.<em>

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><p>Yomi sat alone, sadly looking out of her front window. It had been storming for a long time, the aftershock of a recent tropical storm still wildly blustering throughout Tokyo. It had also been a long time since what happened to Tomo. Yomi sniffled and wiped a tear from her face.<p>

"Koyomi... Koyomi?" rang the voice of Yomi's mother. Yomi, however, sat still, tearful as ever. "Koyomi, you shouldn't just sit there. You'll worry yourself to death..."

Worry herself to death? That was the least of her concerns. Tomo was missing, or worse, and her mother didn't want her to worry?

"Mommy..." Yomi said, her voice trembling. As her mother wrapped her arms around the child, she sniffled loudly and squirmed from her grasp.

"Tomo's missing and it's all because of me!" Yomi screeched before bolting to the front door.

"Koyomi!"

"Where are you going!"

Yomis cried loudly as she ran through the rain, a crash of thunder in the distance. She needed to set things right. She needed to find Tomo, no matter what. Tomo just had to be alive. She had to be!

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><p>Wait! 'Tomo just had to be alive'! What could that mean!<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

It was a cool spring morning. It had been a week since Koyomi began kindergarten, and she wasn't enjoying it in the least. She was picked on by a couple boys for her glasses. Sighing, she buttoned up her bright lavender jacket over her dark purple dress, pulling on a pair of long, white, ribbed stockings and buckling a pair of shiny black maryjanes on. With that, she flipped a purple beret on her brown hair. She was ready for kindergarten.

"Koyomi, are you awake, sweetie? Oh my!" Yomi turned quickly to see her mother smiling down at her. "Look at you, dressing yourself all up all on your own. But where are your glasses, sweetie?"

"Mmmm..." Koyomi looked down at her shiny maryjanes, although they were slightly blurry without her glasses. "The kids at school call me four-eyes, mommy." she responded glumly.

"Aw, sweetie." Koyomi's mother knelt infront of her daughter and snugly wrapped her arms around her. "Don't worry what the other kids say about you. What does mommy always tell you?" "That I'm a perfect little girl." Koyomi said with a slight smile. "No, that's not what mommy tells you." her mother cooed, giving her a tickle. "You're MY perfect little girl." Koyomi giggled and returned a hug to her mother. "Now then, let's get you off to school, Koyomi." "Okay, mommy!"

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><p>Koyomi held her mother's hand as she peered into the gates of her kindergarten. She wasn't sure if she liked kindergarten, but she didn't have a choice. Her mother began to inch her closer.<p>

"Come along, Koyomi. You know you have to go." Koyomi frowned, but nodded, seizing her tiny schoolbag and nodding to her mother. With that, she hurried off, calling back "Bye, mommy!" Hurrying inside, she slid her bag inside her cubbie and hurried out to the playground with the rest of the children. Just as began to make her way to the swings, she noticed the same boys who picked on her for her glasses. Giving a shudder, she instead folded her glasses up and hid them in her pocket. Maybe she could tell a fib or two and make it through the day without her glasses. Smiling at her plan, she hurried for the swings, only to trip and fall to her knees, pain shooting through one. "Owwie..." she groaned. Putting her glasses on, she saw a stone on the ground she must have tripped over. Sniffing, she hurried to a lone tree on the edge on the grounds and sat, her arms folded and sniffled to herself.

"Hey, you!" Koyomi sat bolt upright, her beret tilting slightly off her head. Looking up, she saw a new girl wearing the purple kindergarten dress and dressed in mismatched socks (which wear even different lengths), although she wasn't wearing her jacket or beret. Her hair was dark raven colored and curled up at the ends. "You're that kid I heard about, aren't you?" "Wha..." "That kid everybody calls foureyes, right?" Koyomi narrowed her eyes. Was there no escape for her? "I like glasses. I wish I could wear some." the girl said as she twirled in place daydreaming. "I'd look so cool in glasses, but mommy an' daddy say I don't need glasses." Koyomi smiled and put her glasses on, just as this girl stopped her daydreaming and turned back to face Koyomi. She stared, her mouth hanging wide open. "Wow..." she said slowly. "They're so big..." For a moment, Koyomi thought she didn't like her glasses, but then the girl jumped excitedly in place. "They're so cool! You're so lucky!" Koyomi smiled. "What's your name?" she asked. "Oh me? My name's Tomo. Tomo Takino. How 'bout you?" "My name's Koyomi Mizuhara." Koyomi responded cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you, Tomo." She rose but buckled slightly from her knee. Tomo watched on as Koyomi stumbled. "Hey, Yomi-chan, are you okay?" she asked. Yomi-chan? The two had only just met. "Erm... I hurt my knee earlier..." Koyomi sighed. Tomo raced off before Koyomi could even respond. Sighing, she was able to walk inside, wincing slightly at the pain in her knee as she hung her jacket and beret on her hook above her cubbie.

"Koyomi? Are you okay?"

Koyomi turned to see her teacher, Ms. Nagihara approaching. "Tomo said you hurt your knee." Kneeling, Ms. Nagihara wiped Yomi's scabbed knee and applied a fresh bandage. "There, that's better, right?" Yomi smile and nodded. "We're about to begin today, Koyomi, so hurry and take your seat."

"Okay, Ms. Nagihara." With that, Koyomi hurried off for her place.

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><p>That day, Koyomi walked home. She always walked home on Mondays. While thinking about that new girl Tomo, Yomi looked up to the clouds. They seemed awful dark that afternoon. Maybe a storm was coming.<p>

"Wow! What a cute dogie!"

Koyomi jumped as she heard this voice call out. Wasn't that Tomo's voice? Turning, she saw Tomo petting a large white dog in the park, sitting next to a young woman holding a baby. "Tomo! Is that you?" Koyomi called. Turning, Tomo smiled and waved. "Hey! Yomi-chan! Come look at this big doggie!" Koyomi sighed. She was past petting any dog she saw, but she did like this new girl. She strolled over to the few and saw the dog did have thick fluffy fur. "Go on, pet her." Tomo giggled as she went back to petting the dog, Koyomi joining her.

"Is she a friend of yours?" the woman asked. The two little girls turned to the woman. "Oh no, she's just a girl I met this morning at-" "Yeah! She's my bestest friend ever! All the boys are mean to her an' call her foureyes, isn't that funny?" Koyomi glared over at Tomo and huffed. "Well, that isn't very nice." the woman said with a slight giggle. "Yeah, but I call her Yomi-chan." Koyomi stared. Why did this girl like her so much after just meeting her? "Do you know her, Tomo?" she asked suddenly. "Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head "I just wanted to pet the doggie." Yomi sighed and folded her arms. "But guess what. This lady says she raises puppies for people to take home with them." Tomo said excitedly, patting the large dog. "This is one she keeps for herself." "Wow... maybe one day my mommy an' daddy will get a doggie." Koyomi said, unable to suppress an excited smile. "Shhh, you'll wake the baby." the woman said. At this, Tomo and Koyomi both froze. While Koyomi nodded, Tomo instead inched closer, looking over the tiny, ginger haired baby, sleeping away quietly as she sucked on her thumb. "Is it yours?" she asked quietly. "Oh no," the woman said with a chuckle. "She's my friend's daughter." At this, she stirred slightly, opening her tiny eyes. "Oh my. Are you awake, little Chiyo?" The baby gave a silent yawn then looked to see Tomo watching her, her mouth wide open. "Wow... she's a pretty baby..." At this, Chiyo let out a tiny giggle and pointed a pudgy finger at Tomo. "I think she likes me!" she cheered. "I wanna see the baby." Koyomi cooed. Before she could come closer, however, a bell ran in the distance. Both Tomo and Yomi turned to see a tall school clock strike 4o'clock.

"Uh-oh!"

"We gotta go home!"

The two scooped up the others bag and hurried off as the woman smiled and waved little Chiyo's hand goodbye. They both really lost track of time. Tomo raced after Koyomi, waving her arms. "Hey, wait up! You got a head start!" "Are you crazy, Tomo, I'm not racing, I'm trying to get home!" The two hurried on, calling back and forth to each other all the way. It seemed the two of them would be friends in no time.


	3. Chapter 2

Here we are, the continuation of Into the Night.

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><p>It had been some time since Koyomi met Tomo. Although Tomo seemed a mite airheaded and occasionally joked about Koyomi being called 'foureyes' by the boys at their kindergarten, they did seems to get along nicely.<p>

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><p>Summer break had begun and the kindergarten's children were enjoying their time away. However, rain and stormy weather was on the rise. Nevertheless, errands had to run often at the Mizuhara household. As a light rain began to fall, Koyomi quickly dressed in her dark blue raincoat and red galoshes as her mother rummaged about the closet for an umbrella. Koyomi wondered what Tomo was up to as summer break went on.<p>

"Koyomi, are you ready?"

Koyomi turned to see her mother readying a white umbrella and nodded. Taking her mother's hand, the two strolled into the rainy afternoon.

"Where are we going, mommy?" Koyomi asked, careful to walk around puddles as they walked on. "Oh, we just need a few groceries, Koyomi." he mother responded as they continued on. Koyomi heard the pitter-patter rain falling on her hood. It always made her giggle, although that was pretty much the only thing she liked about rain. As the mother and daughter walked on, the rain began to pick up, a slight gust coming with it. Koyomi hoped it would end soon.

"Hey! Yomi-chan!"

Koyomi turned quickly to see Tomo waving wildly from a playground, drenched from head to toe, wearing nothing but a multicolored bathing suit.

"Oh, look, Koyomi, it's your little friend from kindergarten." her mother said as they turned to see her bubbly classmate. Koyomi, however, just stared. Where was Tomo's raincoat? She looked like she was going swimming. Why would she be playing in the rain? The very idea would have never come to Koyomi.

"Look, mommy, look, it's Yomi-chan!" Tomo squealed excitedly to her mother as she pointed to her friend. "Oh, Tomo, don't point." her mother cooed with a slight giggle, safely under an umbrella. At this, Tomo hurried to Koyomi and grabbed her hand and proceeded to try and pull Yomi to the playground. "C'mon, Yomi-chan, let's go play!" she called as Koyomi tried to pull her hand free.

"Tomo, what do you think you're doing?" her mother snapped. "Don't you see she and her mom are going somewhere?" At this, Tomo stopped tugging, her face confused. "Sorry, Mrs. Yomi-chan's mommy." Tomo said quietly. However, Koyomi's mother let out a chuckle. "Do you want to go play, Koyomi?" she asked, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze. Koyomi didn't know what to say. Playing in the rain? It seemed a strange idea. As the mothers began to chat with each other, Tomo grinned and snatched Koyomi's hand once more, dragging her to the playground where a handfull of other children played, the tapping of rain on Koyomi's hood growing louder as the rain came down harder.

"Tomo, why are you playing in the rain?" Koyomi asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You're all wet." Tomo laughed loudly at this. "Playing in the rain's fun, Yomi-chan! Don't you play in the rain?" Before Koyomi could respond, Tomo began to hop and splash in the puddles, Koyomi watching in bewilderment. Looking around the playground, she saw other children doing the same. Did children often play in the rain? "C'mon, Yomi-chan, play!" Koyomi turned to Tomo, the pouring rain dripping onto her glasses. Looking at a large puddle, Yomi took a deep breath and leapt into the puddle with a great splash. Smiling, Koyomi began to hop in place, her galoshes making much bigger splashes than Tomo's bare feet. Regardless, Koyomi was beginning to feel a mild rush of glee as she continued jumping. Why hadn't she ever played in the rain before? It seemed like so much fun.

"Hey, Yomi-chan..."

Koyomi turned to to Tomo, who stopped jumping in puddles. Tomo had a serious look on her face. Was something wrong? Did Koyomi do something?

"You're it!" Tomo called as she gave Koyomi a shove. Not expecting it, Koyomi lost her balance and fell right into a puddle, her raincoat hood flopping off. Instantly, her hair was soaked and her glasses were blurred with rain, but amid the pouring rain, Koyomi could hear Tomo running away laughing and coaxing her to join in playing. Instantly, Koyomi's eyes narrowed and she slung her hood back up, and became drenched in water that had pooled up in it. Sniffling as her clothes under her raincoat grew wet, Koyomi took her glasses off, seeing the outline of her mother and hurried for her.

"Mommy, I got all wet!" she called, a mixture of anger and hurt in her voice. Her mother sighed and gave her a hug as Tomo's mother called her over to them.

"Tomo, tell Yomi you're sorry." she said sharply. Tomo tiled her head, clearly confused. "Sorry for what?" she asked, genuinely oblivious to what she had done. As her mother sighed, Koyomi's mother waved the two ff. "Don't worry, Tomo," she began. "Koyomi just doesn't play rough often." "You got me all wet!" Koyomi cried, her eyes welling just a bit. "Koyomi, don't be rude." her mother snapped. "She was only playing. Now you need to say sorry." Sniffling, Koyomi grimaced and quickly said "Sorry." Tomo frowned and hung her head. "I'm sorry for playin' tag with you-" "Tomo Takino!" "I mean for shovin' you, Yomi-chan." Koyomi's mother smiled, giving her daughter a hug. "See, Koyomi, Tomo said she was sorry." As Tomo asked if she could go back to playing, Koyomi wondered why she ever wanted to play in the rain. She didn't like getting cold and wet. Who did? Seeing Tomo hurry off, however, she watched as she began to play tag with other children playing in the rain.

"Come on, now, Koyomi, let's get you home." her mother said, giving her daughter's hand a tug. As Koyomi began to walk off, she shivered as her cold, soaked clothes clung to her. She hated rain. She'd never play in the rain again.

"Hey, Yomi-chan!"

Koyomi stopped and turned to see Tomo waving for her attention. What did she want now? Tomo hurried up for the girl, huffing loudly.

"I talked to my mommy," she began "An' my friend Chihiro is comin' for a sleepover over at my home. Do you wanna come, too?" Koyomi didn't know what to say. She'd never been to a sleepover before. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." Koyomi's mother agreed, Koyomi gapping in awe at her mother. What if she didn't have fun? Sleeping over at a friend's house seemed a bit scary, aswell. Why would her mother just agree to it?

"Awesome!" Tomo called, throwing her arms around Koyomi in a big hug. As Tomo waved goodbye, running back to play with her friends, Koyomi was still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened.

"So, how does a sleepover sound, Koyomi? Think you'll have fun?"

"... I guess..."

Her mother gave her hand another squeeze as they walked home (seemingly forgetting about their trip to buy groceries), Koyomi leaping into the puddles all the way.

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><p>Yomi strikes me as a no-nonsense type, but let's face it, what kid hasn't played in the rain atleast once, right? Tomo, on the other hand, represents how me and my brother on occasion would occasionally run out and play in the rain, wearing nothing but our swimming trunks. Anyway, on to the rest of the story, you can see, Yomi's getting more and more attached to Tomo and is beginning to have fun and act silly, just like her new friend, all setting up for what's next to come. As for the mention of Chihiro, I promise I'll follow up on it, don't worry. Well, keep those eyes peeled, because you won't want to miss the next chapter<p> 


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